Ice
by SpaceIsTheLimit
Summary: "When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew." -William Shakespeare. Of course Izumi and Itachi now know that this is complete and utter bullshit. But that doesn't stop them from thawing the ice between them.


"We should break up."

 _"What!?_ You can't do this to me! I told you I love you! You were my first!"

"I'm sorry bunny. It's over."

The door indeed slams on his way out.

.

"I'm ending things."

"Are you kidding? You've got to be kidding!"

"I'm over you. I've fallen out of love. I'm sorry."

She was already packed to leave too.

.

That's how it happened. How in only a few seconds both relationships were over. Relationships were stupid. They happen so spontaneously that you can't even say if they were supposed to happen or not. And when it's over, you wonder why you were even together. Why does love even come so easily? And when it's over, how can you say that it was worth it, or that you regret it, you decided to get into it. Why start a relationship when you know it won't last? Or you know you'll break up?

For fun? That's stupid. So is love. So is lust. Any relationship turns out to be crap. No matter what type of relationship it may be.

.

His eyes were like stars, that's how she fell in love. Love at first sight, she just got out of a relationship too.

Her smile made his heart melt, he doesn't fall easy, but he just fell for her smile. Love at first sight, how pitiful.

.

And that's how they lost their loves, and how they gained love. But it wasn't that easy. His eyes may have been like stars, but they had darkness to them. He had a baby mama and he just got out of the slammer. Her smile made his heart melt, yes, but she was a drug addict that had trust issues and lived in her van.

Love was stupid. Love at first sight even dumber. The only trust you'll ever find is with the bartender that sometimes aks for a bigger tip than you'll ever even give. Or the trust that the glass of champagne in front of you won't dump you out of the blue just because something or someone else became a better deal. Of course, our resident bad boy, as he likes to call himself, knew this. His hair raven, eyes to match, bags that made him look older than he really was. And a shot glass in front of him. He's had ten, hasn't phased him yet. Yet.

And the cigarette gal, with a carefully placed nose ring, brown long hair and the lightest eyes ever, nursing a beer she liked to drink in this bar. The bar where she met her recent loser ex, and new found love. As she liked to call it. Since this guy really was a work in progress. And her eyes saw through bullshit but she'd digress, those eyes caught her everytime.

The two of them didn't know about the others current situation. And if they'd pass their own civic standards, they'd break the boundary of thawing ice between their bar stools as they glanced in the others direction. Talk. Socialise. They should've, but decided there was no point.

And alas, they never spoke.

.

"I think we should date."

"I'm not interested."

.

He rejected her so quickly that she needed so much time to recover. They remained what she calls friends. And that night she decided she'd nurse another beer.

.

"Want to go on a date?"

"Plans, sorry."

.

He knew she didn't have plans. But pretending she did made being rejected all the more easier. And he only had ten shots the other day, he'd have enough to be borderline drunk. And have a heated debate with the bartender over if people should get second chances. And he'd argue by saying not everyone should, because _Adolf Hitler._ And the bartender would go to his next customer with a grin and pretend he didn't lose a debate with a drunk guy that only came when his love life wasn't even a love life anymore, so every other day.

They saw each other again. They didn't say anything again. Only letting the ice thaw even further, and deciding that breaking it completely with conversation would be ridiculous. She was on her third beer can, he was on his third shot, he couldn't focus knowing that she was looking at him. And he returned her stares, their eyes met once.

They looked away, pretending that didn't just happen.

.

"Okay - yeah. Let's date." She was full of glee when he said that to her. His eyes shining like stars.

"I'm down for a date." And he was glad to see her smile directed at him.

Unfortunately, she was only using him to be a rebound for her ex.

And the star eyes guy only wanted to bed her.

.

So. Back again. At the bar. The other next to him. Nursing that same beer. Him, on his tenth shot. Neither drunk, but neither sober. Both trying to pick up pieces of their broken hearts. Trying ever so hard not to thaw the ice. It's the whatever day they've seen each other. They didn't count or even try to remember back to before, when they thought love at first sight existed. It did not.

And so, he decided to break the ice. "That beer isn't even that good." He tries to be snarky, but his voice cracks at the end and she laughs at him, it didn't affect him, her laugh wasn't nearly as beautiful as his love at first sight gal. But he'd never see her again.

"It loosens me up. What about you? Shots are all it is with you."

"I'm glad you noticed."

The ice thaws. Of course they aren't friends. They don't even know each others names. But that was fine. He wasn't her therapist, she wasn't his. Lying to themselves was better than admitting something was wrong.

.

"I need a rebound." She says it one day, drinking whiskey and not beer. Because he'd be damned to see her drink that crap again when the bartender hid good stuff beneath the bar, it was like a secret menu. Only he'd use it to forget that he couldn't stop another bar fight.

"Me too." They stayed silent for so long. "Want to be mine?"

She agreed, only because it meant they could pretend to be together. And they did. They'd kiss, hold hands, they've never had sex. They even promised each other they wouldn't fall in love, and if they could win back their love at first sights, then they'd call this whole thing off. They cheated on each other. But they weren't dating. They smoked their problems away, and liked to pretend like there was nothing happening between them.

.

"I broke our promise." Her voice was scratchy, and her eyes were puffy. He smiled at her.

"Me too." They didn't have sex. They didn't fall in love at first sight. They didn't win back their lost loves. The relationship wasn't stable.

But..."Do you want to be my boyfriend, Itachi?"

"Sure, Izumi."

They could thaw that ice there too.


End file.
